What's On: ‘The Mist’ Dissipates, ‘Boy Band’ Finale

The Mist (10/9c, Spike): Here’s what we know about the season finale of the lesser of the summer’s two Stephen King TV adaptations: “Tensions at the mall come to a head”—again?—“and the group makes a discovery which could provide answers about the origins of the mist.” Sounds suspiciously like a cliffhanger is in the offing. I’m not pining for a second season, but nothing annoys fans more than a show left hanging if it isn’t returning.

Boy Band (8/7c, ABC): Like most original network shows this summer, this singing competition didn’t exactly take the world by storm—ABC has to hope for better luck with its too-soon revival of American Idol at midseason. But nothing is likely to stop the five (of eight) finalists chosen by America to form a new boy band from securing a recording contract with Hollywood Records. The winners perform the new single “Eyes Closed,” which maybe isn’t the best theme to emerge from a TV show.

What Carter Lost (9:30/8:30c, ESPN): Think of this as the dark side of Friday Night Lights. The latest 30 for 30 documentary revisits the controversial 1988 season of a championship high-school football team, the Dallas Carter Cowboys, beset by academic scandal that eventually blemished their record. (Their game against Odessa’s Permian High was an inspiration for the original Friday Night Lights.)

Inside Thursday TV:Awkward’s Brett Davern reunites with co-star Beau Mirchoff in the comedy film Party Boat, premiering on the Crackle streaming service. Davern plays a party animal throwing a birthday bash for his longtime crush (Switched at Birth star Katie Leclerc). … If you’ve been wondering what’s up with Cain (Mark Consuelos) on NBC’s The Night Shift (10/9c), this week’s episode sheds more light on his mysterious past.